Monday, May 11, 1959:
KABL Radio Debuts

By Bob Foster
San Mateo Times

As the media reporter for the San Mateo Times, Bob Foster (photo, right) covered local radio and television for more than forty years. Covering everyone from local disc jockeys to Hollywood stars, he was a respected and trusted columnist known for his gregarious nature. His legacy is maintained through the Bob Foster Memorial Scholarship Fund, which benefits a student enrolled in the journalism program at the College of San Mateo.

In this column from Monday, May 11, 1959, he gives his first-hand impression of the possible direction that the new KABL Radio may take following a “stunting” period that featured repeated playing of the theme song from “The Giant Gila Monster.” In mid-column, however, Mr. Foster is caught by surprise when KABL signs on with a format that doesn’t feature Top 40 music.

Lower on this page is Mr. Foster’s follow-up article about KABL, published on May 12, 1959.

To hear the audio from the last hours of KROW and the debut of KABL on the Bay Area Radio Museum website, please click here.